The parents of a disabled 2-year-old could face abandonment charges if they don't start paying for his upkeep, lawyers said yesterday.The boy, who has been paralyzed since he swallowed an uninflated balloon in December 2004, is currently being raised by his grandparents.Chen Baojuan, the boy's grandmother, said that the infant's parents hadn't spent a dime on their son and rarely visited him since the accident. She is demanding money for the boy's upkeep, but the parents have refused so far.They allegedly blame the grandmother for the accident, as she was looking after the boy, Chen Aonan, when he swallowed the balloon.The accident left the boy in shock for 20 minutes and prevented oxygen from getting to his brain."They hate me, blaming me for not taking care of the boy," the grandmother said yesterday. "I took him to my sick mother's home that day and he swallowed a balloon that my mother offered him when I went to bathroom."The boy spent more than a month in hospital, and his grandparents had to foot the medical bill, which was about 60,000 yuan (US$7,425)."His condition has improved since he was released from hospital as he can cry and move one hand now," she said.The boy's parents were not available for comment yesterday, but a relative they are living with said that they are involved in a dispute with the grandparents over an apartment.He alleged the elderly couple once promised to give their son one of the two apartments they owned but later broke their word."They told me they did not pay the expenses for the sick baby because they had no money," said the man. "They also claimed they would pay off the medical bills if given an apartment."Liu Chunquan, a lawyer with Guangshen Law Firm said Chen's parents have a duty to support the boy until he turns 18. Considering the infant suffers from serious illness, they could face charges of abandonment, Liu said.